Seattle Council candidate Velazquez gets big biz boost

Confirming rumors, business political action committee ForwardSeattle announced it’s backing Seattle City Council candidate Venus Velazquez, over competitor Bruce Harrell.

That backing will likely include thousands of dollars in “independent expenditures” — or ads made to benefit Velazquez, but not coordinated directly with her campaign. By doing that independently, rather than donating directly to Velazquez, the PAC can spend as much as it likes.

It’s a particularly timely boost for Velazquez, since her campaign is in the red, according to the most recent campaign finance reports.

ForwardSeattle has about $110,500 in the bank. Spokesman Joe Quintana declined to discuss how much it plans to spend backing Velazquez,or how.

This is the first major campaign initiative by the PAC, which started earlier this year.

“Forward Seattle became concerned because of repeated inconsistencies in positions Mr. Harrell took on critical issues. … He took different positions, like the community benefits agreements and incentive zoning. … For example, he told business groups he opposed incentive zoning but he told the 34th District and the 46 District Democrats he supported incentive zoning.”
“The situation was similar with other issues.”

Quintana also said in a written statement:

“Venus Velasquez demonstrated in the candidate selection process that she understands a strong economy and a good business climate are critical to helping the low-income and minority communities she has dedicated her adult life to serving. While Ms. Velasquez is not a ‘business candidate’ in the traditional sense and may not always agree with us, she has proven before various business audiences that she knows the issues well and is willing to listen to a business perspective.”